World landmarks go dark for Earth Hour

March 24, 2013

The Eiffel Tower is seen as its illuminations are switched off as part of Earth Hour on March 23, 2013 in Paris. Organisers expect hundreds of millions of people across more than 150 countries to turn off their lights for 60 minutes in a symbolic show of support for the planet.

The Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower and the Kremlin—along with a slew of other landmarks around the world—went dark to draw attention to climate change.

In a symbolic show of support for the planet, people across the continents switched off their lights for 60 minutes—all at 8:30 pm local time—to make "Earth Hour."

In bustling New York, that's exactly what happened when the Empire State Building pulled the plug on its nighttime brilliance.

Only obligatory security lights remained aglow on the Ferris Wheel at the Santa Monica pier several hours later as dozens of California communities joined in.

The pylons at Los Angeles International Airport displayed solid green while lights were turned off or dimmed for an hour at venues in the city, including the STAPLES Center and the Nokia Theatre.

"This program allows us and other high profile venues to show awareness and that we are committed to energy efficiency and sustainability in everything that we do as a sports and live entertainment district," Lee Zeidman, general manager of these establishments, said in a statement.

Further south in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue took the plunge into temporary darkness, along with the city's famous Ipanema Beach.

In Argentina's capital Buenos Aires, the city's Obelisk, planetarium and other monuments and public buildings did the same.

In Paris, the city of light, the Eiffel Tower turned off its illumination—but only for five minutes due to security reasons.

This combo of pictures shows the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest with the lights on (top) and with the lights off during the annual "Earth Hour" event in Beijing on March 23, 2013. The Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower and the Kremlin—along with a slew of other landmarks around the world—went dark to draw attention to climate change.

Moscow's Kremlin meanwhile went dark for a full hour for the first time, following a decision by President Vladimir Putin.

Saint Mark's Square in the heart of Venice switched off its lighting, turning to candles instead.

The Sydney Opera House shortly after the start of the annual "Earth Hour" on March 23, 2013. Sydney's skyline plunged into darkness on Saturday as the city cut its lights for the "Earth Hour" campaign against climate change, kicking off an event which will travel around the globe.

In the Serbian capital Belgrade, the national parliament, the national museum and all five bridges were among the landmarks that went without illumination.

In neighboring Bosnia, the lights went out at Sarajevo cathedral and at the Old Bridge in the southwestern town of Mostar, which dates back to the Ottoman Empire.

Earlier, Sydney had kicked off the event to cheers and applause from a small crowd that had gathered to see the skyline dim and Sydney Opera House turn a deep green to symbolize renewable energy.

"It's been a very inspiring night because it's all about hope and change," said Jessica Bellamy, one of the spectators.

Japan switched off soon after Australia, with the illumination on the landmark Tokyo Tower dimming down as visitors were given the chance to pedal bicycles to generate power to illuminate an egg-shaped artwork.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site in the country's west, also sat in darkness.

In the Chinese capital Beijing, lights went out at the former Olympic stadium, the "Bird's Nest," while in the commercial hub of Shanghai buildings along the famed riverfront Bund took part.

Hong Kong's iconic skyline appeared to vanish into the night as the neon lights and advertising boards that usually brighten the sky were turned off, leaving the harbor in darkness.

In Singapore, a crowd of almost 1,000 people watched from a floating platform as landmarks on the skyline dimmed, before a pulsating musical performance had people dancing in the dark ahead of a film screening.

India's capital New Delhi switched off floodlights at some of its iconic monuments including Qutab Minar, Humayun's Tomb and the sprawling Red Fort.

"Earth Hour" originated in Sydney with a simple appeal to people and businesses to turn off their lights for an hour to raise awareness of carbon pollution.

"I think the power of Earth Hour is in its ability to connect people and connect them on an issue that they really care about which is the environment," said Dermot O'Gorman, head of WWF-Australia as the city stood in darkness.

"Earth Hour shows that there are millions of people around the world who also want to do something."

Related Stories

New York's Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and the Sydney Opera House were plunged into darkness for the annual Earth Hour campaign, leading a global effort to raise awareness about climate change.

Lights went off around the world as landmark buildings and ordinary homes flipped their switches while the annual "Earth Hour" circled the planet in what was dubbed the world's largest voluntary action for the environment.

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Isn't it nice when people across the globe band together to celebrate a political agenda?

It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling all over. Just like that Chevrolet dealership that I drove by one night. It was lit-up like daytime by hundreds of electric lights - just so people could see the new, energy-saving Chevy Volt.

As I was was saying before being rudely interrupted by a computer glitch...I don't think the earth hour is a good thing. Yes it does bring awareness but awareness is already at a high state already and people have drawn battle lines in the sand. It actually wastes energy studies have shown and detracts people with warm fuzzy feelings from doing real things like pressuring the government into helping citizens remove gross inefficiencies in the heating of homes and from microchips/servers/infrastructure, investing in alternative energy solutions, etc., etc. My LFTR conversion plan would take 70 billion and put it into fixing the gross 10% of inefficiency from the system. doing things like insulating homes and changing out windows to triple pane models in the most inefficient homes and businesses and force stricter efficiency standards in new buildings and in computer networks. http://rawcell.co...to-lftr/

How sad when the GW Alarmist Turds come spewing their vitriolic insults at others. All the while, they worship their vicar, the GORE, who sits happy in his mansion burning more power than most third world villages.

Our city celebrated Earth hour by "turning off non-essential equipment for the hour". What a farce...why is this just not common practice? because we all realize *wink*wink* that there is no "non-essential" equipment. Even that car dealership would consider the lights essential to security, or doing business. Or turning off that copier only works for the hour because it is essential to have it warmed and ready to print at a moment's notice...